Systems and methods for coaxial multi-color led

ABSTRACT

A micro multi-color LED device includes two or more LED structures for emitting a range of colors. The two or more LED structures are vertically stacked to combine light from the two more LED structures. In some embodiments, each LED structure is connected to a pixel driver and a shared P-electrode. The LED structures are bonded together through bonding layers. In some embodiments, reflection layers are implemented in the device to improve the LED emission efficiency. A display panel comprising an array of the micro tri-color LED devices has a high resolution and a high illumination brightness.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/863,559, filed Jun. 19, 2019, entitled “Systems and Methods forCoaxial Multi-Color LED,” which is hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to light-emitting diode (LED)display devices, and more particularly, to systems and fabricatingmethods for LED semiconductor devices that emit different colors withhigh brightness and micro-meter scale pixel size.

BACKGROUND

With the development of Mini LED and Micro LED technology in recentyears, consumer devices and applications such as augmented reality (AR),projection, heads-up display (HUD), mobile device displays, wearabledevice displays, and automotive displays, require LED panels withimproved resolution and brightness. For example, an AR displayintegrated within a goggle and positioned close to a wearer's eyes canhave a dimension of a fingernail while still demanding an HD definition(1280×720 pixels) or higher. Many electronic devices require certainpixel size, distance between adjacent pixels, brightness, and viewingangle for the LED panels. Often, when trying to achieve the maximumresolution and brightness on a small display, it is challenging tomaintain both the resolution and brightness requirements. In contrast,in some cases, pixel size and brightness are difficult to balance at thesame time as they can have an approximately opposite relationship. Forexample, getting a high brightness for each pixel could result in a lowresolution. Alternatively, obtaining a high resolution could bring thebrightness down.

Generally, at least red, green and blue colors are superimposed toreproduce a broad array of colors. In some instances, to include atleast red, green and blue colors within a pixel area, separatemonochromatic LEDs are fabricated at different non-overlapping zoneswithin the pixel area. The existing technology faces challenges toimprove the effective illumination area within each pixel when thedistance between the adjacent LEDs is determined. On the other hand,when a single LED illumination area is determined, further improving theoverall resolution of the LED panel can be a difficult task because LEDswith different colors have to occupy their designated zones within thesingle pixel.

Active matrix liquid-crystal displays (LCD) and organic light emittingdiode (OLED) displays combined with thin-film transistor (TFT)technology are becoming increasingly popular in today's commercialelectronic devices. These displays are widely used in laptop personalcomputers, smartphones and personal digital assistants. Millions ofpixels together create an image on a display. The TFTs act as switchesto individually turn each pixel on and off, rendering the pixel light ordark, which allows for convenient and efficient control of each pixeland of the entire display.

However, conventional LCD displays suffer from low light efficiency,causing high power consumption and limited battery operation time. Whileactive-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) display panelsgenerally consume less power than LCD panels, an AMOLED display panelcan still be the dominant power consumer in battery-operated devices. Toextend battery life, it is desirable to reduce the power consumption ofthe display panel.

Conventional inorganic semiconductor light emitting diodes (LED) havedemonstrated superior light efficiency, which makes active matrix LEDdisplays more desirable for battery operated electronics. Arrays ofdriver circuitry and lighting-emitting diodes (LEDs) are used to controlmillions of pixels, rendering images on the display. Both single-colordisplay panels and full-color display panels can be manufacturedaccording to a variety of fabrication methods.

However, the integration of thousands or even millions of micro LEDswith pixel driver circuit array is quite challenging. Variousfabrication methods have been proposed. In one approach, controlcircuitry is fabricated on one substrate and LEDs are fabricated on aseparate substrate. The LEDs are transferred to an intermediatesubstrate and the original substrate is removed. Then the LEDs on theintermediate substrate are picked and placed one or a few at a time ontothe substrate with the control circuitry. However, this fabricationprocess is inefficient, costly and not reliable. In addition, there areno existing manufacturing tools for mass transferring micro LEDs.Therefore new tools must be developed.

In another approach, the entire LED array with its original substrate isaligned and bonded to the control circuitry using metal bonding. Thesubstrate on which the LEDs are fabricated remains in the final product,which may cause light cross-talk. Additionally, the thermal mismatchbetween the two different substrates generates stress at the bondinginterface, which can cause reliability issues. Furthermore, multi-colordisplay panels typically require more LEDs and different color LEDsgrown on different substrate materials, compared with single-colordisplay panels, thus making the traditional manufacturing process evenmore complicated and inefficient.

As such, it would be desirable to provide an LED structure for displaypanels that addresses the above-mentioned drawbacks, amongst others.

SUMMARY

There is a need for improved multi-color LED designs that improve upon,and help to address the shortcomings of conventional display systems,such as those described above. In particular, there is a need for an LEDdevice structure that can improve the brightness and resolution at thesame time while efficiently maintaining low power consumption. Themulti-color LED device described herein integrates at least threemicro-LED structures vertically stacked by placing them at differentlayers of the device structure and utilizing one of the same electrodefor receiving control currents. By placing at least three LED structuresaligned along one axis as disclosed herein, the system effectivelyenhances the light illumination efficiency within a single pixel area,and at the same time, improves the resolution of the LED panel.

Pitch refers to the distance between the centers of adjacent pixels on adisplay panel. In some embodiments, the pitch can vary from about 40microns, to about 20 microns, to about 10 microns, and/or preferably toabout 5 microns or below. Many efforts have been made to reduce thepitch. A single pixel area is fixed when the pitch specification isdetermined.

The multi-color coaxial LED system described herein makes it possible toemit light with a combination of different colors from a single pixelarea without using extra area to accommodate LED structures withdifferent colors. Therefore, the footprint of a single pixel issignificantly reduced and the resolution of the micro-LED panel can beimproved. While the concentration of the different-colored light fromone micro-LED device boundary greatly enhances the brightness within asingle pixel area.

Compared to conventional fabrication processes for micro-LED displaychips, which rely on inefficient pick and place processes or unreliablemultiple substrates approaches, the multi-color micro-LED fabricationprocesses disclosed herein effectively increases the efficiency andreliability of the micro-LED device fabrication. For example, the LEDstructures can be directly bonded on the substrate with the pixeldrivers without introducing an intermediate substrate. In addition, nosubstrate for the micro-LED structures remain in the final multi-colordevice so that cross-talk and mismatch can be reduced.

The multi-color micro-LED devices described herein can improvebrightness and resolution at the same time and are suitable for modemdisplay panels, especially for high definition AR devices and virtualreality (VR) glasses.

In one embodiment, a single pixel multi-color micro light-emitting diode(LED) device for a display panel includes: a substrate; two or more LEDstructure layers that include: a first LED structure layer stacked ontop of the substrate; and a second LED structure layer stacked on top ofthe first LED structure layer. In some instances, the first LEDstructure layer, and the second LED structure layer substantiallyoverlap laterally with one another to form a light path that combineslight emitted from the first LED structure layer, and the second LEDstructure layer.

In some embodiments, the two or more LED structure layers of the singlepixel multi-color micro-LED device further include: a third LEDstructure layer stacked on top of the second LED structure layer. Insome instances, the third LED structure layer substantially overlapslaterally with the first LED structure layer, and the second LEDstructure layer to form the light path that additionally combines lightemitted from the third LED structure layer.

In some embodiments, the single pixel multi-color micro-LED devicefurther includes: a first bonding layer between the substrate and thefirst LED structure layer; a second bonding layer between the first LEDstructure layer and the second LED structure layer; and a third bondinglayer between the second LED structure layer and the third LED structurelayer.

In some embodiments of the single pixel multi-color micro-LED device,the first bonding layer is about 0.1 micron to about 3 microns, thesecond bonding layer is about 0.1 micron to about 5 microns, and thethird bonding layer is about 0.1 micron to about 5 microns. In someembodiments, the second and third bonding layers are transparent.

In some embodiments, the substrate of the single pixel multi-colormicro-LED device supports a pixel driver and the each of the first,second and third LED structure layers is electrically connected to thepixel driver.

In some embodiments, the pixel driver comprises a thin-film transistorpixel driver or a silicon CMOS pixel driver.

In some embodiments, the single pixel multi-color micro-LED devicefurther includes: a first reflection layer between the substrate and thefirst LED structure layer; a second reflection layer between the firstLED structure layer and the second LED structure layer; and a thirdreflection layer between the second LED structure layer and the thirdLED structure layer.

In some embodiments of the single pixel multi-color micro-LED device, atleast one of the first, the second and the third reflection layerscomprises a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) structure; and each of thefirst, the second and the third reflection layers is about 0.1 micron toabout 5 microns.

In some embodiments of the single pixel multi-color micro-LED device,first light emitted from the first LED structure layer propagatesthrough the second LED structure layer and the third LED structurelayer, and second light emitted from the second LED structure layerpropagates through the third LED structure layer.

In some embodiments of the single pixel multi-color micro-LED device,each of the first, second and third LED structure layers include: anepitaxial structure forming an LED within the respective LED structurelayer; a lower conductive layer electrically connected to a bottom ofthe LED; and an upper conductive layer electrically connected to a topof the LED. In some instances, the lower conductive layer is alsoelectrically connected to the pixel driver and the upper conductivelayer is also electrically connected to a common electrode.

In some embodiments of the single pixel multi-color micro-LED device,the epitaxial structure of each of the first, second and third LEDstructure layers is selected from one or more structures from the groupconsisting of a III-V nitride epitaxial structure, a III-V arsenideepitaxial structure, a III-V phosphide epitaxial structure, and a III-Vantimonide epitaxial structure.

In some embodiments of the single pixel multi-color micro-LED device,the lower conductive layer and the upper conductive layer for each ofthe first, second and third LED structure layers comprise Indium TinOxide (ITO) layers, and each of the ITO layers is about 0.01 micron to 1micron.

In some embodiments, the single pixel multi-color micro-LED devicefurther includes: an anode metal contact pad electrically connected tothe lower conductive layer of each of the first, second and third LEDstructure layers; a first cathode metal contact pad electricallyconnected to the upper conductive layer of the first LED structurelayer; a second cathode metal contact pad electrically connected to theupper conductive layer of the second LED structure layer; and a thirdcathode metal contact pad electrically connected to the upper conductivelayer of the third LED structure layer.

In some embodiments of the single pixel multi-color micro-LED device,the anode and cathode metal contact pads comprise one or more metalsselected from the group consisting of aluminum, silver, rhodium, zinc,gold, germanium, nickel, chromium, platinum, tin, copper, tungsten,indium-tin-oxide, palladium, indium, and titanium.

In some embodiments of the single pixel multi-color micro-LED device,the epitaxial structure of each of the first, second and third LEDstructure layers is about 0.3 micron to about 5 microns.

In some embodiments of the single pixel multi-color micro-LED device,the LEDs of different LED structure layers produce light of differentwavelengths.

In some embodiments of the single pixel multi-color micro-LED device,the LEDs of different LED structure layers produce light of differentvisible wavelengths.

In some embodiments of the single pixel multi-color micro-LED device,the LEDs of different LED structure layers are ultraviolet, blue, green,orange, red, or infrared micro LEDs.

In some embodiments of the single pixel multi-color micro-LED device,the first LED structure layer forms a red light LED; the second LEDstructure layer forms a green light LED; and the third LED structurelayer forms a blue light LED.

In some embodiments of the single pixel multi-color micro-LED device,the longest dimension of the single pixel multi-color micro-LED deviceis about 1 micron to about 500 microns.

In some embodiments of the single pixel multi-color micro-LED device,the single pixel multi-color micro-LED device has a cross-sectionalshape of a pyramid that has a bottom layer with the longest lateraldimension and the top layer with the shortest lateral dimension.

In some embodiments of the single pixel multi-color micro-LED device,the single pixel multi-color micro-LED device has an external quantumefficiency of no less than 20%.

In another embodiment, a micro-LED display chip includes: a substratesupporting an array of pixel drivers; and an array of single pixelmulti-color micro light-emitting diode (LED) devices, and each singlepixel multi-color LED device includes two or more LED structure layersstacked on top of the substrate and pixel drivers, with a bonding layerbetween adjacent LED structure layers, each of the LED structure layersfurther comprising an epitaxial structure forming a micro LED configuredto produce a single color light. In some instances, the array of singlepixel multi-color LEDs are electrically connected to the array of pixeldrivers and common electrodes, the two or more LED structure layersoverlap laterally with one another to form a light propagation paththrough the micro LEDs directly stacked together, and the micro LEDs ofdifferent LED structure layers produce light of different wavelengths.

In some embodiments of the micro-LED display chip, the common electrodesinclude a separate common electrode structure for all the micro LEDswithin the same LED structure layer that produce the same color.

In yet another embodiment, a method for fabricating a single pixeltri-color micro light-emitting diode (LED) device for a display panelincludes: providing a substrate, fabricating a first LED structure layerstacked on top of the substrate; fabricating a second LED structurelayer stacked on top of the first LED structure layer; and fabricating athird LED structure layer stacked on top of the second LED structurelayer. In some instances, the first LED structure layer, the second LEDstructure layer, and the third LED structure layer substantially overlaplaterally with one another to form a light path that combines lightemitted from the first LED structure layer, the second LED structurelayer and the third LED structure layer.

In some embodiments, the method for fabricating the single pixeltri-color micro-LED device further includes: bonding the substrate andthe first LED structure layer together by a first bonding layer; bondingthe first LED structure layer and the second LED structure layertogether by a second bonding layer; and bonding the second LED structurelayer and the third LED structure layer together by a third bondinglayer.

In some embodiments of the method for fabricating the single pixeltri-color micro-LED device, the first bonding layer includes one or morebonding structures selected from the group consisting of Au—Au bonding,Au—Sn bonding, Au—In bonding, Ti—Ti bonding, and Cu—Cu bonding.

In some embodiments of the method for fabricating the single pixeltri-color micro-LED device, each of the second bonding layer and thethird bonding layer includes one or more bonding materials selected fromthe group consisting of transparent plastic (resin), SiO2, spin-on glass(SOG), and bonding adhesive Micro Resist BCL-1200.

In some embodiments of the method for fabricating the single pixeltri-color micro-LED device, the first bonding layer is about 0.1 micronto about 3 microns, the second bonding layer is about 0.1 micron toabout 5 microns, and the third bonding layer is about 0.1 micron toabout 5 microns. In some instances, the second and third bonding layersare transparent.

In some embodiments, the method for fabricating the single pixeltri-color micro-LED device further includes: coating a first reflectionlayer on the first LED structure layer before the bonding of thesubstrate and the first LED structure layer; coating a second reflectionlayer on the first LED structure layer before the bonding of the firstLED structure layer and the second LED structure layer; and coating athird reflection layer on the second LED structure layer before thebonding of the second LED structure layer and the third LED structurelayer.

In some embodiments, the method for fabricating the single pixeltri-color micro-LED device, further includes: forming a distributedBragg reflector (DBR) structure for each of the first, the second andthe third reflection layers. In some embodiments, each of the first, thesecond and the third reflection layers is about 0.1 micron to about 5microns.

In some embodiments of the method for fabricating the single pixeltri-color micro-LED device, the substrate supports a pixel driver andthe each of the first, second and third LED structure layers iselectrically connected to the pixel driver.

In some embodiments, the method for fabricating the single pixeltri-color micro-LED device, further includes: for each of the first,second and third LED structure layers comprising an epitaxial structure:patterning the epitaxial structure to form an LED within the respectiveLED structure layer; coating a lower conductive layer to electricallyconnect to a bottom of the LED; and coating an upper conductive layer toelectrically connect to a top of the LED. In some instances, the lowerconductive layer is also electrically connected to the pixel driver andthe upper conductive layer is also electrically connected to a commonelectrode.

In some embodiments of the method for fabricating the single pixeltri-color micro-LED device, the epitaxial structure of each of thefirst, second and third LED structure layers is selected from one ormore structures from the group consisting of a III-V nitride epitaxialstructure, a III-V arsenide epitaxial structure, a III-V phosphideepitaxial structure, and a III-V antimonide epitaxial structure.

In some embodiments of the method for fabricating the single pixeltri-color micro-LED device: the lower conductive layer and the upperconductive layer for each of the first, second and third LED structurelayers comprise Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) layers, and each of the ITOlayers are about 0.01 micron to 1 micron.

In some embodiments, the method for fabricating the single pixeltri-color micro-LED device, further includes: coating an anode metalcontact pad to electrically connect to the lower conductive layer ofeach of the first, second and third LED structure layers; coating afirst cathode metal contact pad to electrically connect to the upperconductive layer of the first LED structure layer; coating a secondcathode metal contact pad to electrically connect to the upperconductive layer of the second LED structure layer; and coating a thirdcathode metal contact pad to electrically connect to the upperconductive layer of the third LED structure layer.

In some embodiments of the method for fabricating the single pixeltri-color micro-LED device, the epitaxial structure of each of thefirst, second and third LED structure layers is about 0.3 micron toabout 5 microns.

In some embodiments of the method for fabricating the single pixeltri-color micro-LED device, the LEDs of different LED structure layersproduce light of different wavelengths.

In some embodiments of the method for fabricating the single pixeltri-color micro-LED device, the LEDs of different LED structure layersproduce light of different visible wavelengths.

In some embodiments of the method for fabricating the single pixeltri-color micro-LED device, the LEDs of different LED structure layersare ultraviolet, blue, green, orange, red, or infrared micro LEDs.

In some embodiments, the method for fabricating the single pixeltri-color micro-LED device further includes: patterning the first LEDstructure layer to form a red light LED; patterning the second LEDstructure layer to form a green light LED; and patterning the third LEDstructure layer to form a blue light LED.

The compact design of the multi-color LED devices and systems disclosedherein utilizes the lateral overlapping of the light emission LEDstructures, thereby improving the light emission efficiency, resolution,and overall performance of the LED display systems. Furthermore, thefabrication of the multi-color LED display systems can reliably andefficiently form the LED structure patterns without using or retainingextra substrates. Thus, implementation of the multi-color LED displaysystems can satisfy the rigorous display requirements for AR and VR,heads-up displays (HUD), mobile device displays, wearable devicedisplays, high definition small projectors, and automotive displayscompared with the use of the conventional LEDs.

Note that the various embodiments described above can be combined withany other embodiments described herein. The features and advantagesdescribed in the specification are not all inclusive and, in particular,many additional features and advantages will be apparent to one ofordinary skill in the art in view of the drawings, specification, andclaims. Moreover, it should be noted that the language used in thespecification has been principally selected for readability andinstructional purposes, and may not have been selected to delineate orcircumscribe the inventive subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the present disclosure can be understood in greater detail, amore particular description may be had by reference to the features ofvarious embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appendeddrawings. The appended drawings, however, merely illustrate pertinentfeatures of the present disclosure and are therefore not to beconsidered limiting, for the description may admit to other effectivefeatures.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a single pixel tri-color coaxial LEDdevice 100, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of a multiple layer structure 200 forforming the tri-color coaxial LED device, in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of a tri-color coaxial LED device 250after the fabrication process, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram illustrating a matrix of tri-color LEDdevices 300, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram showing a method 400 of fabricating a tri-colorcoaxial LED device, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a top view of a micro LED display panel 500, in accordancewith some embodiments.

In accordance with common practice, the various features illustrated inthe drawings may not be drawn to scale. Accordingly, the dimensions ofthe various features may be arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity.In addition, some of the drawings may not depict all of the componentsof a given system, method or device. Finally, like reference numeralsmay be used to denote like features throughout the specification andfigures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Numerous details are described herein in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the example embodiments illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. However, some embodiments may be practiced without many of thespecific details, and the scope of the claims is only limited by thosefeatures and aspects specifically recited in the claims. Furthermore,well-known processes, components, and materials have not been describedin exhaustive detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure pertinentaspects of the embodiments described herein.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a single pixel tri-color coaxial LEDdevice 100, in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments,the tri-color coaxial LED device includes a substrate 102. Forconvenience, “up” is used to mean away from the substrate 102, “down”means toward the substrate 102, and other directional terms such as top,bottom, above, below, under, beneath, etc. are interpreted accordingly.The supporting substrate 102 is the substrate on which the array ofindividual driver circuits 104 is fabricated. In some embodiments, thedriver circuits could also be located in one of the layers above thesubstrate 102, or above the micro tri-color LED structure 100. Eachdriver circuit is a pixel driver 104. In some instances, the pixeldrivers are thin-film transistor pixel drivers or silicon CMOS pixeldrivers. In one embodiment, the substrate 102 is a Si substrate. Inanother embodiment, the supporting substrate 102 is a transparentsubstrate, for example, a glass substrate. Other example substratesinclude GaAs, GaP, InP, SiC, ZnO, and sapphire substrates. The drivercircuits 104 form individual pixel drivers to control the operation ofthe individual single pixel tri-color coaxial LED device 100. Thecircuitry on substrate 102 includes contacts to each individual pixeldriver 104 and also a ground contact. Each micro tri-color LED structure100 also has two types of contacts: P electrodes or anodes, such as 120,which are connected to the pixel driver; and N electrodes or cathodes,such as 122, 124, and 126, which are connected to the ground (i.e., thecommon electrode).

Although some features are described herein with the term “layer”, itshould be understood that such features are not limited to a singlelayer but may include a plurality of sublayers. In some instance, a“structure” can take the form of a “layer”.

In some embodiments, three LED structures including three epitaxiallayers 108, 112, and 116, are formed in a stacked structure, forexample, the green LED epitaxial layer 112 is directly on top of the redLED epitaxial layer 108, and the blue LED epitaxial layer 112 isdirectly on top of the green epitaxial layer 112. In some embodiments,the light emitted from the red epitaxial layer 108 is able to propagatethrough the green epitaxial layer 112 and then through the blueepitaxial layer 116 to be emitted out of the tri-color LED device 100.In some embodiments, the light emitted from the green epitaxial layer112 is able to propagate through the blue epitaxial layer 116 to beemitted out of the tri-color LED device 100. In some embodiments, an LEDstructure includes many epitaxial sub-layers with differentcompositions. Examples of the LED epitaxial structures include III-Vnitride, III-V arsenide, III-V phosphide, and III-V antimonide epitaxialstructures. Examples of micro LEDs include GaN based UV/blue/green microLEDs, AlInGaP based red/orange micro LEDs, and GaAs or InP basedinfrared (IR) micro LEDs.

In some embodiments, each of the stacked LED structures can becontrolled individually to generate its individual light. In someembodiments, the combined light from the top LED epitaxial layer as aresult from the operations all the LED epitaxial layers in the tri-colorcoaxial LED device 100 can change the color of the single pixel on adisplay panel within a small footprint.

In some embodiments, depending on the design of the coaxial LED device100, the emitted colors of the LED structures included in the samedevice are not limited to red, green and blue. For example, suitablecolors can be selected from a range of different colors from awavelength of 380 nm to 700 nm in visible color range. In someembodiments, LED structures emitting other colors from invisible rangesuch as ultra-violet and infrared can be implemented. For example, thethree-color choice, from bottom to top can be red, green, and blue. Inanother embodiment, the three-color choice, from bottom to top can beultra-violet, orange, and infrared. In some embodiments, the wavelengthof the light from the LED structure on one layer of the device 100 hasto be longer than the wavelength from the LED structure on a layer ontop of the current layer. For instance, the wavelength of the light fromthe bottom epitaxial layer 108 is longer than that of the middleepitaxial layer 112, and the wavelength of the light from the middleepitaxial layer 112 is longer than that of the top epitaxial layer 116.In some embodiments, the wavelength of the light from the LED structureon one layer of the device 100 has to be shorter than the wavelengthfrom the LED structure on a layer on top of the current layer. Forinstance, the wavelength of the light from the bottom epitaxial layer108 is shorter than that of the middle epitaxial layer 112, and thewavelength of the light from the middle epitaxial layer 112 is shorterthan that of the top epitaxial layer 116.

In some embodiments, an insulation layer 128 covers the top and sidewalls of the tri-color LED structures. In some embodiments, aP-electrode 120 is placed on a side of the tri-color LED device 100 toconnect to the red LED, green LED and blue LED structures. In someembodiments, separate N-electrodes are placed to connect to each of thered LED, green LED, and blue LED structures. For example, N-electrode126 is connected to the red LED structure including the LED epitaxiallayer 108. N-electrode 124 is connected to the green LED structureincluding the LED epitaxial layer 112. N-electrode 122 is connected tothe blue LED structure including the LED epitaxial layer 116.

In some embodiments, the bottom epitaxial layer 108 is bonded to thesubstrate through a metal bonding layer 106. In some embodiments, themetal bonding layer 106 can also be used as a reflector to reflect lightemitted from the LED structures above. In some embodiments, the middleepitaxial layer 112 is bonded to the bottom epitaxial layer 108 througha first transparent bonding layer 110. In some embodiments, the topepitaxial layer 116 is bonded to the middle epitaxial layer 112 througha second transparent bonding layer 114. In some embodiments, thetransparent bonding layers can facilitate the light emitted from thelayers below the bonding layers to pass through.

In some embodiments, reflection layers are formed between the LEDepitaxial layers to improve light emission efficiency, which will befurther described below. In some embodiments, conductive transparentlayers are formed between the LED epitaxial layers to improveconductivity and transparency.

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of a multiple layer structure 200 forforming the tri-color coaxial LED device, in accordance with someembodiments. More specifically, FIG. 2A illustrates fabrication of themultiple layers on a substrate for the tri-color coaxial LED device.

FIG. 2A shows the substrate 202 supporting the pixel driver 204. In someembodiments, the substrate 202 consists of Silicon and is around 700microns thick. In one approach, a metal (bonding) layer 206 is grown onthe substrate 202. The metal (bonding) layer 206 may include ohmiccontact layers, and metal bonding layers. In some embodiments, thethickness of the metal (bonding) layer 206 is about 0.1 micron to about3 microns. In some instances, two metal layers are included in the metal(bonding) layer 206. One of the metal layers is deposited on anepitaxial layer 210, or on a reflection layer 208, which is immediatelyabove the metal (bonding) layer 206. A counterpart metal bonding layeris also deposited on the substrate 202 with the pixel driver 204. Insome embodiments, compositions for the metal (bonding) layer 206 includeAu—Au bonding, Au—Sn bonding, Au—In bonding, Ti—Ti bonding, Cu—Cubonding, or a mixture thereof. For example, if Au—Au bonding isselected, the two layers of Au respectively need a Cr coating as anadhesive layer, and Pt coating as an anti-diffusion layer. And the Ptcoating is between the Au layer and the Cr layer. The Cr and Pt layersare positioned on the top and bottom of the two bonded Au layers. Insome embodiments, when the thicknesses of the two Au layers are aboutthe same, under a high pressure and a high temperature, the mutualdiffusion of Au on both layers bonds the two layers together. Eutecticbonding, thermal compression bonding, and transient liquid phase (TLP)bonding are example techniques that may be used.

In some embodiments, the epitaxial layer 210 is bonded on top of theexisting structure of substrate 202 with the pixel driver 204 throughthe metal (bonding) layer 206. In one approach, the epitaxial layer 210is grown on a separate substrate (referred to as the epitaxy substrate).The epitaxy substrate is then removed after bonding, for example, by alaser lift-off process or wet chemical etching, leaving the structureshown in FIG. 2A.

In some embodiments, the reflection layer 208 is coated on the epitaxiallayer 210 before bonding. The reflection layer 208 is between the metal(bonding) layer 206 and the epitaxial layer 210 after bonding. In someinstances, the thickness of the reflection layer 208 is about 0.1 micronto about 5 microns. In some embodiments, the reflection layer 208includes a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) structure. For example, thereflection layer 208 is formed from multiple layers of alternating ordifferent materials with varying refractive index. In some instances,each layer boundary of the DBR structure causes a partial reflection ofan optical wave. The reflection layer 208 can be used to reflect someselected wavelengths, for example, red light. In some embodiments, thereflection layer 208 is made of multiple layers of SiO2 and Ti3O5. Byvarying the thicknesses and numbers of layers of SiO2 and Ti3O5respectively, selective reflection or transmission of light at differentwavelengths can be formed. In some embodiments, the reflection layer 208for a red light LED includes multiple layers of Au or/and Indium TinOxide (ITO).

In some embodiments, the reflection layer 208 for a red light LEDstructure has a low absorbance (for example, equal or less than 5%) ofthe light generated by different layers of the tri-color LED device. Insome embodiments, the reflection layer 208 for a red light LED structurehas a high reflectance (for example, equal or more than 95%) of thelight generated above the current reflection layer, for example, the redlight, the green light and the blue light.

In some embodiments, the epitaxial layer 210 is for forming red microLEDs. Examples of a red LED epitaxial structure include III-V nitride,III-V arsenide, III-V phosphide, and III-V antimonide epitaxialstructures. In some instances, films within the red LED epitaxial layer210 can include the layers of P-type GaP/P-type AlGaInP light-emittinglayer/AlGaInP/N-type AlGaInP/N-type GaAs. In some embodiments, P type isgenerally Mg-doped, and N-type is generally Si-doped. In some examples,the thickness of the epitaxial layer 210 is about 0.3 micron to about 5microns.

In some embodiments, above the epitaxial layer 210 is an Indium TinOxide (ITO) layer 212, a transparent conducting oxide. In someembodiments, the thickness of the ITO layer 212 is about 0.01 micron toabout 1 micron. In some instances, before any bonding process with thenext epitaxial layer, the ITO layer 212 is deposited on the epitaxiallayer 210 commonly by vapor deposition, for example, electron beamevaporation or sputtering deposition. In some examples, ITO layers areused to maintain a good conductivity for electrode connection while insome instances, improving optical properties of the LED devices, such asreflectivity or transparency.

In some embodiments, a second reflection layer 214 is coated on the ITOlayer 212 before any bonding process with the next epitaxial layer. Insome instances, the thickness of the reflection layer 214 is about 0.1micron to about 5 microns. In some embodiments, the reflection layer 214includes a DBR structure. For example, the reflection layer 214 isformed from multiple layers of alternating or different materials withvarying refractive index. In some instances, each layer boundary of theDBR structure causes a partial reflection of an optical wave. Thereflection layer 214 can be used to reflect some selected wavelengths,for example, green light. In some embodiments, the reflection layer 214is made of multiple layers of SiO2 and Ti3O5. By varying the thicknessesand numbers of layers of SiO2 and Ti3O5 respectively, selectivereflection or transmission of light at different wavelengths can beformed.

In one example, the following DBR structure shown in table 1 is used toreflect green light from a green light LED:

TABLE 1 DBR layer structure for a green light LED reflection layer.Layer Layer thickness composition (in nanometer) SiO2 1000 TiO2 109.54SiO2 318.48 TiO2 64.95 SiO2 106.07 TiO2 245.76 SiO2 137.08 TiO2 65.14SiO2 106.77 TiO2 338.95 SiO2 37.27 TiO2 12.41 SiO2 352.18 TiO2 70.83SiO2 229.25 ITO 20

In some embodiments, the reflection layer 214 for a green light LEDstructure has a low absorbance (for example, equal or less than 5%) ofthe light generated by different layers of the tri-color LED device. Insome embodiments, the reflection layer 214 for a green light LEDstructure has a high reflectance (for example, equal or more than 95%)of the light generated above the current reflection layer, for example,the green light and the blue light.

In some embodiments, a second epitaxial layer 220 is bonded on top ofthe first epitaxial layer 210 through the transparent bonding layer 216.In one approach, the second epitaxial layer 220 is grown on a separatesubstrate (referred to as the epitaxy substrate). The epitaxy substrateis then removed after bonding, for example, by a laser lift-off processor wet chemical etching, leaving the structure shown in FIG. 2A.

In some embodiments, the transparent bonding layer 216 is made oftransparent plastic (resin) or SiO2, such as spin-on glass (SOG),bonding adhesive Micro Resist BCL-1200, etc. The thickness of thetransparent bonding layer 216 is about 0.1 micron to about 5 microns.

In some embodiments, the second epitaxial layer 220 is for forming greenmicro LEDs. Examples of a green LED epitaxial structure include III-Vnitride, III-V arsenide, III-V phosphide, and III-V antimonide epitaxialstructures. In some instances, films within the green LED epitaxiallayer 220 can include the layers of P-type GaN/InGaN light-emittinglayer/N-type GaN. In some embodiments, P type is generally Mg-doped, andN-type is generally Si-doped. In some examples, the thickness of thesecond epitaxial layer 220 is about 0.3 micron to about 5 microns.

In some embodiments, an ITO layer 218 is deposited on the secondepitaxial layer 220 before bonding. The ITO layer 218 is between thetransparent bonding layer 216 and the second epitaxial layer 220 afterbonding. In some embodiments, the thickness of the ITO layer 218 isabout 0.01 micron to about 1 micron.

In some embodiments, another ITO layer 222 is deposited on top of thesecond epitaxial layer 220 before any bonding process with the nextepitaxial layer. In some embodiments, the thickness of the ITO layer 218is about 0.01 micron to about 1 micron.

In some embodiments, a third reflection layer 224 is coated on the ITOlayer 222 before any bonding process with the next epitaxial layer. Insome instances, the thickness of the reflection layer 224 is about 0.1micron to about 5 microns. In some embodiments, the reflection layer 224includes a DBR structure. For example, the reflection layer 224 isformed from multiple layers of alternating or different materials withvarying refractive index. In some instances, each layer boundary of theDBR structure causes a partial reflection of an optical wave. Thereflection layer 224 can be used to reflect some selected wavelengths,for example, blue light. In some embodiments, the reflection layer 224is made of multiple layers of SiO2 and Ti3O5. By varying the thicknessesand numbers of layers of SiO2 and Ti3O5 respectively, selectivereflection or transmission of light at different wavelengths can beformed.

In one example, the following DBR structure shown in table 2 is used toreflect blue light from a blue light LED:

TABLE 2 DBR layer structure for a blue light LED reflection layer. LayerLayer thickness composition (in nanometer) SiO2 1000 SiO2 183.36 TiO2 96SiO2 84.65 TiO2 51.37 SiO2 332.37 TiO2 79.95 SiO2 423.13 TiO2 52.99 SiO235.87 TiO2 235.03 SiO2 253.67 TiO2 64.38 SiO2 336.08 ITO 20

In some embodiments, the reflection layer 224 for a blue light LEDstructure has a low absorbance (for example, equal or less than 5%) ofthe light generated by different layers of the tri-color LED device. Insome embodiments, the reflection layer 224 for a blue light LEDstructure has a high reflectance (for example, equal or more than 95%)of the light generated above the current reflection layer, for example,the blue light.

In some embodiments, a third epitaxial layer 230 is bonded on top of thesecond epitaxial layer 220 through the transparent bonding layer 226. Inone approach, the third epitaxial layer 230 is grown on a separatesubstrate (referred to as the epitaxy substrate). The epitaxy substrateis then removed after bonding, for example, by a laser lift-off processor wet chemical etching, leaving the structure shown in FIG. 2A.

In some embodiments, the transparent bonding layer 226 is made oftransparent plastic (resin) or SiO2, such as spin-on glass (SOG),bonding adhesive Micro Resist BCL-1200, etc. The thickness of thetransparent bonding layer 226 is about 0.1 micron to about 5 microns.

In some embodiments, the third epitaxial layer 230 is for forming bluemicro LEDs. Examples of a blue LED epitaxial structure include III-Vnitride, III-V arsenide, III-V phosphide, and III-V antimonide epitaxialstructures. In some instances, films within the blue LED epitaxial layer230 can include the layers of P-type GaN/InGaN light-emittinglayer/N-type GaN. In some embodiments, P type is generally Mg-doped, andN-type is generally Si-doped. In some examples, the thickness of thethird epitaxial layer 230 is about 0.3 micron to about 5 microns.

In some embodiments, an ITO layer 228 is deposited on the thirdepitaxial layer 230 before bonding. The ITO layer 228 is between thetransparent bonding layer 226 and the third epitaxial layer 230 afterbonding. In some embodiments, the thickness of the ITO layer 228 isabout 0.01 micron to about 1 micron.

In some embodiments, another ITO layer 232 is deposited on top of thethird epitaxial layer 230. In some embodiments, the thickness of the ITOlayer 232 is about 0.01 micron to about 1 micron.

FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of a tri-color coaxial LED device 250after the fabrication process, in accordance with some embodiments. Morespecifically, FIG. 2B further illustrates the tri-color coaxial LEDdevice 250 after some additional fabrication processes especiallypatterning of the multiple layer structure 200.

In some embodiments, through dry etching and wet etching, a tri-colorLED structure is formed and the axes of LED structures of differentcolors are aligned with one another vertically. In some embodiments, theLED structures of different colors share the same axis. In someembodiments, the LED structures of different colors form a pyramid likeshape or a trapezoidal cross-sectional shape, with the lateral dimensionof the bottom LED structure being the longest and the lateral dimensionof the top LED structure being the shortest. Each layer has a narrowerwidth or smaller area compared to a layer beneath it. In this instance,the width or area is measured by the dimensions of a plane parallel tothe surface of the substrate 202. In some embodiments, the bottom layersuch as the metal (bonding) layer 206 has lateral dimension of about 1micron to about 500 microns. A pyramid like shape will improve theelectronic connections between the individual LED structures and to theelectrodes, and simplify the fabrication process. For example, theelectrode connections are exposed in each layer for easy connection.

In some embodiments, the aspect ratio of a cross section of a layer ofthe tri-color LED device remains substantially the same when the lateraldimension of the same layer varies. For example, when the lateraldimension of a patterned epitaxial layer is 5 microns, the thickness ofthe patterned epitaxial layer is less than a micron. In another example,when the lateral dimension of the same patterned epitaxial layerincreases, the thickness of the same patterned epitaxial layer increasesaccordingly to maintain the same aspect ratio. In some embodiments, theaspect ratio of the cross-section of the epitaxial layers and otherlayers is less than ⅕ in thickness/width.

The shape of the LED device is not limited and in some otherembodiments, the cross-sectional shape of the tri-color coaxial LEDdevice can take the form of other shapes, for example, a reversetrapezoid, a semi-oval, a rectangle, a parallelogram, a triangle, or ahexagon, etc.

In some embodiments, after all the layers illustrated in FIG. 1A areformed, the top ITO layer 232 above the third epitaxial layer 230 ispatterned using photolithography and etching. In some instances, theetching method used to form the pattern is dry etching, for example,inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching, or wet etching with an ITOetching solution. In some embodiments, the same patterning methods canapply to all the other ITO layers, including ITO layers 212, 218, 222,228 within the structure 200.

In some embodiments, the blue LED epitaxial layer 230 and the green LEDepitaxial layer 220 are patterned using photolithography and etching. Insome instances, the etching method used to form the pattern is dryetching, for example, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching, with Cl2and BCl3 etching gases.

In some embodiments, the transparent bonding layers including 216 and226 are patterned using photolithography and etching. In some instances,the etching method used to form the pattern is dry etching, for example,inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching, with CF4 and O2 etching gases.

In some embodiments, the reflection layers including 208, 214 and 224are patterned using photolithography and etching. In some instances, theetching method used to form the pattern for the reflection layersespecially the DBR layers is dry etching, for example, inductivelycoupled plasma (ICP) etching, with CF4 and O2 etching gases, or ion beametching (IBE) with Ar gas.

In some embodiments, the red LED epitaxial layer 210 is patterned usingphotolithography and etching. In some instances, the etching method usedto form the pattern is dry etching, for example, inductively coupledplasma (ICP) etching, with Cl2 and HBr etching gases.

In some embodiments, the metal (bonding) layer 206 is patterned usingphotolithography and etching. In some instances, the etching method usedto form the pattern is dry etching, for example, inductively coupledplasma (ICP) etching, with Cl2/BCl3/Ar etching gases, or ion beametching (IBE) with Ar gas.

In some embodiments, after the LED device structure is patterned, aninsulation layer 252 is deposited on the surface of the patterned LEDdevice structure including all the patterned layers, side walls, and theexposed substrate. In some embodiments, the insulation layer 252 is madeof SiO2 and/or Si3N4. In some embodiments, the insulation layer 252 ismade of TiO2. In some embodiments, the insulation layer 252 is formedwith composition similar to SiO2 after curing a layer such as SOG at ahigh temperature. In some embodiments, the insulation layer 252 is madeof a material that has a similar thermal coefficient of the layersunderneath the insulation layer 252.

In some embodiments, the insulation layer 252 is patterned to expose theelectrode contact area using photolithography and etching. In someinstances, the etching method used to form the pattern is dry etching,for example, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching, with CF4 and O2.

In some embodiments, anode metal pad 254 is vapor deposited on asuitable location of the patterned LED structure, such as on one side,to cover the red LED structure, the green LED structure, and the blueLED structure. In some embodiments, anode metal pad 254 is made toconnect to the bottom metal (bonding) layer 206 of the red LED epitaxiallayer 210, the bottom conductive ITO layer 218 of the green LEDepitaxial layer 220, and the bottom conductive ITO layer 228 of the blueLED epitaxial layer 230. The anode metal pad 254 is also electricallyconnected to the integrated circuits including the pixel driver 204 onthe substrate 202 through the metal (bonding) layer 206.

In some embodiments, separate cathode metal pads are placed to connectto each of the red LED epitaxial layer, green LED epitaxial layer andblue LED epitaxial layer. For example, cathode metal pad 256 is vapordeposited on a side of the patterned LED structure to connect to the redLED epitaxial layer 210 through the conductive ITO layer 212 on top ofthe red LED epitaxial layer 210. In some embodiments, cathode metal pad258 is vapor deposited on a side of the patterned LED structure toconnect to the green LED epitaxial layer 220 through the conductive ITOlayer 222 on top of the green LED epitaxial layer 220. In someembodiments, cathode metal pad 260 is vapor deposited on a side of thepatterned LED structure to connect to the blue LED epitaxial layer 230through the conductive ITO layer 232 on top of the blue LED epitaxiallayer 230.

In some embodiments, the external quantum efficiency for the red LEDstructure within the tri-color LED device is about 0.5-5%. In someembodiments, the external quantum efficiency for the green LED structurewithin the tri-color LED device is about 2-10%. In some embodiments, theexternal quantum efficiency for the blue LED structure within thetri-color LED device is about 5-15%. In some embodiments, the externalquantum efficiency of the LED structure for each color is measured whenthe effects of all the related layers in addition to the LED structuresuch as reflection layers, bonding layers, ITO layers, and insulationlayers are counted.

In some embodiments, the external quantum efficiency for the tri-colorLED device 250 is about 20% or above. In some embodiments, the externalquantum efficiency of the multi-color LED device is measured when theeffects of all the layers in addition to the LED structure layers suchas reflection layers, bonding layers, ITO layers, and insulation layersare counted.

Various design aspects of the tri-color coaxial LED system 250, such asthe dimensions of the layers (e.g., width, length, height, andcross-sectional area of each layer), the dimension of the electrodes,size, shape, spacing, and arrangement of the two or more LED structurelayers, bonding layers, reflection layers and the conductive layers, andthe configuration between the integrated circuits, pixel driver andelectrical connections are selected (e.g., optimized using a cost orperformance function) for obtaining the desired LED characteristics. LEDcharacteristics that vary based on the above design aspects include,e.g., size, materials, cost, fabrication efficiency, light emissionefficiency, power consumption, directivity, luminous intensity, luminousflux, color, spectrum and spatial radiation pattern.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram illustrating a matrix of tri-color LEDdevices 300, in accordance with some embodiments. The circuit in FIG. 3includes three pixel drivers 302, 304, and 306 and three tri-colorcoaxial LED devices 308, 310, and 312.

In some embodiments, a display panel includes a plurality of pixels,such as millions of pixels, and each pixel includes a tri-color LEDdevice structure. In some embodiments, the LED device structures can bemicro LEDs. Micro LEDs typically have a lateral dimension of 50 microns(um) or less, and can have lateral dimensions less than 10 um and evenjust a few um.

In some embodiments, the pixel driver, for example 302, includes anumber of transistors and capacitors (not shown in FIG. 3). Thetransistors include a driving transistor connected to a voltage supply,and a control transistor configured with its gate connected to a scansignal bus line. The capacitors include a storage capacitor usedmaintain the gate voltage of the driving transistor during the time thatthe scan signal is setting other pixels.

In this example, each of the three tri-color LED devices, for example308, have its own integrated circuit (IC) pixel driver 302. Thetri-color LED device 308 for a single pixel can be viewed as threeindividual LEDs with different colors connected in parallel. Forexample, the red LED 318, green LED 316, and blue LED 314, within thesame tri-color LED device 308, are connected to the same IC pixel driver302 via a shared P-electrode pad or anode, such as metal pad 254 in FIG.2B.

In some embodiments, each of the red, green, and blue LEDs within thesame tri-color LED device 308 is connected to separate N-electrode pador cathode. For example, the red LED is connected to the N-electrode336, such as metal pad 256 in FIG. 2B. The green LED is connected to theN-electrode 334, such as metal pad 258 in FIG. 2B. The blue LED isconnected to the N-electrode 332, such as metal pad 260 in FIG. 2B.

In some embodiments, all the red LEDs, for example, 318, 324 and 330,from different tri-color LED devices, are connected to the same commonN-electrode 336. All the green LEDs for example, 316, 322 and 328, fromdifferent tri-color LED devices, are connected to the same commonN-electrode 334. All the blue LEDs, for example, 314, 320 and 326, fromdifferent tri-color LED devices, are connected to the same commonN-electrode 332. The use of the common electrodes simplifies thefabrication process and reduces the area of the LED devices especiallythe footprint of the electrodes.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram showing a method of fabricating a tri-colorcoaxial LED device 400, in accordance with some embodiments.

Operations (e.g., steps) of the method 400 may be performedcorresponding to embodiments described in FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B and 3 above.

The method 400 includes a step 402 of providing a substrate. In someembodiments, a pixel driver is formed in the substrate.

The method 400 also includes a step 404 of fabricating a first LEDstructure layer stacked on top of the substrate. In some embodiments,the first LED structure layer includes a first epitaxial structure. Insome embodiments, the first LED structure layer is bonded on thesubstrate by a first bonding layer. In some embodiments, a firstreflection layer is coated on the first LED structure layer at the sidefacing the substrate before the bonding of the substrate and the firstLED structure layer. And in some instances, the first reflection layeris between the first bonding layer and the first epitaxial structureafter bonding. In some embodiments, the first bonding layer is aconductive layer at the bottom of the first LED structure layer, and thefirst bonding layer is electrically connected to both the pixel driverand the bottom of the first LED structure layer. In some embodiments, afirst upper conductive layer is coated at the top of the first LEDstructure layer to electrically connect to the top of the first LEDstructure layer and a common electrode.

The method 400 further includes a step 406 of fabricating a second LEDstructure layer stacked on top of the first LED structure layer. In someembodiments, the second LED structure layer includes a second epitaxialstructure. In some embodiments, the second LED structure is bonded onthe first LED structure by a second bonding layer. In some embodiments,a second reflection layer is coated on the first LED structure layer atthe side facing the second LED structure layer before the bonding of thefirst LED structure layer and the second LED structure layer. And insome instances, the second reflection layer is between the first upperconductive layer and the second bonding layer after bonding. In someembodiments, a second lower conductive layer is coated at the bottom ofthe second LED structure layer, and the second lower conductive layer iselectrically connected to both the pixel driver and the bottom of thesecond LED structure layer. In some embodiments, a second upperconductive layer is coated at the top of the second LED structure layerto electrically connect to the top of the second LED structure layer anda common electrode.

The method 400 further includes a step 408 of fabricating a third LEDstructure layer stacked on top of the second LED structure layer. Insome embodiments, the third LED structure layer includes a thirdepitaxial structure. In some embodiments, the third LED structure isbonded on the second LED structure by a third bonding layer. In someembodiments, a third reflection layer is coated on the second LEDstructure layer at the side facing the third LED structure layer beforethe bonding of the second LED structure layer and the third LEDstructure layer. And in some instances, the third reflection layer isbetween the second upper conductive layer and the third bonding layerafter bonding. In some embodiments, a third lower conductive layer iscoated at the bottom of the third LED structure layer, and the thirdlower conductive layer is electrically connected to both the pixeldriver and the bottom of the third LED structure layer. In someembodiments, a third upper conductive layer is coated at the top of thethird LED structure layer to electrically connect to the top of thethird LED structure layer and a common electrode.

In some embodiments, the first LED structure layer, the second LEDstructure layer, and the third LED structure layer substantially overlaplaterally with one another to form a light path that combines lightemitted from the first LED structure layer, the second LED structurelayer and the third LED structure layer.

The method 400 further includes a step 410 of patterning each of thelayers formed from steps 402-408 described above by photolithography andetching to form three LEDs directly stacked together.

The method 400 further includes a step 412 of depositing an insulationlayer above the exposed structures formed from steps 402-410 describedabove and etching the insulation layer for coating the electrode contactpads.

The methods 400 further includes a step of 414 of coating the electrodecontact pads on the surface of the structures formed from steps 402-412.In some embodiments, an anode metal contact pad is coated toelectrically connect to the lower conductive layer of each of the first,second and third LED structure layers, and the pixel drive. In someembodiments, a first cathode metal contact pad is coated to electricallyconnect to the upper conductive layer of the first LED structure layer.In some embodiments, a second cathode metal contact pad is coated toelectrically connect to the upper conductive layer of the second LEDstructure layer. In some embodiments, a third cathode metal contact padis coated to electrically connect to the upper conductive layer of thethird LED structure layer.

Further embodiments also include various subsets of the aboveembodiments including embodiments in FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B, 3, and 4 combinedor otherwise re-arranged in various embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a top view of a micro LED display panel 500, in accordancewith some embodiments. The display panel 500 includes a data interface510, a control module 520 and a pixel region 550. The data interface 510receives data defining the image to be displayed. The source(s) andformat of this data will vary depending on the application. The controlmodule 520 receives the incoming data and converts it to a form suitableto drive the pixels in the display panel. The control module 520 mayinclude digital logic and/or state machines to convert from the receivedformat to one appropriate for the pixel region 550, shift registers orother types of buffers and memory to store and transfer the data,digital-to-analog converters and level shifters, and scan controllersincluding clocking circuitry.

The pixel region 550 includes an array of pixels. The pixels includemicro LEDs, such as a tri-color coaxial LED 534, integrated with pixeldrivers, for example as described above. In this example, the displaypanel 500 is a color RGB display panel. It includes red, green and bluepixels. Within each pixel, the tri-color coaxial LED 534 is controlledby a pixel driver. The pixel makes contact to a supply voltage (notshown) and ground via a ground pad 536, and also to a control signal,according to the embodiments shown previously. Although not shown inFIG. 5, the p-electrode of the tri-color coaxial LED 534 and the outputof the driving transistor are positioned within the LED 534, and theyare electrically connected by the bonding metal layer, such as the metallayer 204 in FIG. 2A. The LED current driving signal connection (betweenp-electrode of LED and output of the pixel driver), ground connection(between n-electrode and system ground), the supply voltage Vddconnection (between source of the pixel driver and system Vdd), and thecontrol signal connection to the gate of the pixel driver are made inaccordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 5 is merely a representative figure. Other designs will beapparent. For example, the colors do not have to be red, green and blue.They also do not have to be arranged in columns or stripes. As oneexample, apart from the arrangement of a square matrix of pixels shownin FIG. 5, an arrangement of hexagonal matrix of pixels can also be usedto form the display panel 500.

In some applications, a fully programmable rectangular array of pixelsis not necessary. Other designs of display panels with a variety ofshapes and displays may also be formed using the device structuresdescribed herein. One class of examples is specialty applications,including signage and automotive. For example, multiple pixels may bearranged in the shape of a star or a spiral to form a display panel, anddifferent patterns on the display panel can be produced by turning onand off the LEDs. Another specialty example is automobile headlights andsmart lighting, where certain pixels are grouped together to formvarious illumination shapes and each group of LED pixels can be turnedon or off or otherwise adjusted by individual pixel drivers.

Even the lateral arrangement of devices within each pixel can vary. InFIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B the LEDs and pixel drivers are arranged vertically,i.e., each LED is located on top of the corresponding pixel drivercircuit. Other arrangements are possible. For example, the pixel driverscould also be located “behind”, “in front of”, or “beside” the LED.

Different types of display panels can be fabricated. For example, theresolution of a display panel can range typically from 8×8 to 3840×2160.Common display resolutions include QVGA with 320×240 resolution and anaspect ratio of 4:3, XGA with 1024×768 resolution and an aspect ratio of4:3, D with 1280×720 resolution and an aspect ratio of 16:9, FHD with1920×1080 resolution and an aspect ratio of 16:9, UHD with 3840×2160resolution and an aspect ratio of 16:9, and 4K with 4096×2160resolution. There can also be a wide variety of pixel sizes, rangingfrom sub-micron and below to 10 mm and above. The size of the overalldisplay region can also vary widely, ranging from diagonals as small astens of microns or less up to hundreds of inches or more.

Different applications will also have different requirements for opticalbrightness. Example applications include direct viewing display screens,light engines for home/office projectors and portable electronics suchas smart phones, laptops, wearable electronics, AR and VR glasses, andretinal projections. The power consumption can vary from as low as a fewmilliwatts for retinal projectors to as high as kilowatts for largescreen outdoor displays, projectors, and smart automobile headlights. Interms of frame rate, due to the fast response (nanoseconds) of inorganicLEDs, the frame rate can be as high as KHz, or even MHz for smallresolutions.

Further embodiments also include various subsets of the aboveembodiments including embodiments in FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B, and 3-5 combinedor otherwise re-arranged in various embodiments.

Although the detailed description contains many specifics, these shouldnot be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but merely asillustrating different examples and aspects of the invention. It shouldbe appreciated that the scope of the invention includes otherembodiments not discussed in detail above. For example, the approachesdescribed above can be applied to the integration of functional devicesother than LEDs with control circuitry other than pixel drivers.Examples of non-LED devices include vertical cavity surface emittinglasers (VCSEL), photodetectors, micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS),silicon photonic devices, power electronic devices, and distributedfeedback lasers (DFB). Examples of other control circuitry includecurrent drivers, voltage drivers, trans-impedance amplifiers, and logiccircuits.

The preceding description of the disclosed embodiments is provided toenable any person skilled in the art to make or use the embodimentsdescribed herein and variations thereof. Various modifications to theseembodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, andthe generic principles defined herein may be applied to otherembodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the subjectmatter disclosed herein. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended tobe limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded thewidest scope consistent with the following claims and the principles andnovel features disclosed herein.

Features of the present invention can be implemented in, using, or withthe assistance of a computer program product, such as a storage medium(media) or computer readable storage medium (media) having instructionsstored thereon/in which can be used to program a processing system toperform any of the features presented herein. The storage medium caninclude, but is not limited to, high-speed random access memory, such asDRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM or other random access solid state memory devices,and may include non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic diskstorage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, orother non-volatile solid state storage devices. Memory optionallyincludes one or more storage devices remotely located from the CPU(s).Memory or alternatively the non-volatile memory device(s) within thememory, comprises a non-transitory computer readable storage medium.

Stored on any machine readable medium (media), features of the presentinvention can be incorporated in software and/or firmware forcontrolling the hardware of a processing system, and for enabling aprocessing system to interact with other mechanisms utilizing theresults of the present invention. Such software or firmware may include,but is not limited to, application code, device drivers, operatingsystems, and execution environments/containers.

It will be understood that, although the terms “first,” “second,” etc.may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements shouldnot be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguishone element from another.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the claims. Asused in the description of the embodiments and the appended claims, thesingular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the pluralforms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It willalso be understood that the term “and/or” as used herein refers to andencompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of theassociated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms“comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification,specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations,elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence oraddition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations,elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

As used herein, the term “if” may be construed to mean “when” or “upon”or “in response to determining” or “in accordance with a determination”or “in response to detecting,” that a stated condition precedent istrue, depending on the context. Similarly, the phrase “if it isdetermined [that a stated condition precedent is true]” or “if [a statedcondition precedent is true]” or “when [a stated condition precedent istrue]” may be construed to mean “upon determining” or “in response todetermining” or “in accordance with a determination” or “upon detecting”or “in response to detecting” that the stated condition precedent istrue, depending on the context.

The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has beendescribed with reference to specific embodiments. However, theillustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or tolimit the claims to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications andvariations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodimentswere chosen and described in order to best explain principles ofoperation and practical applications, to thereby enable others skilledin the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A single pixel multi-color micro light-emittingdiode (LED) device for a display panel, comprising: a substrate; two ormore LED structure layers comprising: a first LED structure layerstacked on top of the substrate; and a second LED structure layerstacked on top of the first LED structure layer; wherein the first LEDstructure layer, and the second LED structure layer substantiallyoverlap laterally with one another to form a light path that combineslight emitted from the first LED structure layer, and the second LEDstructure layer.
 2. A single pixel multi-color micro LED deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the two or more LED structure layersfurther comprise: a third LED structure layer stacked on top of thesecond LED structure layer, wherein the third LED structure layersubstantially overlaps laterally with the first LED structure layer, andthe second LED structure layer to form the light path that additionallycombines light emitted from the third LED structure layer.
 3. The singlepixel multi-color micro-LED device according to claim 2, furthercomprising: a first bonding layer between the substrate and the firstLED structure layer; a second bonding layer between the first LEDstructure layer and the second LED structure layer; and a third bondinglayer between the second LED structure layer and the third LED structurelayer.
 4. The single pixel multi-color micro-LED device according toclaim 3, wherein: the first bonding layer is about 0.1 micron to about 3microns, the second bonding layer is about 0.1 micron to about 5microns, and the third bonding layer is about 0.1 micron to about 5microns, wherein the second and third bonding layers are transparent. 5.The single pixel multi-color micro-LED device according to claim 2,wherein: the substrate supports a pixel driver and the each of thefirst, second and third LED structure layers is electrically connectedto the pixel driver.
 6. The single pixel multi-color micro-LED deviceaccording to claim 5, wherein the pixel driver comprises a thin-filmtransistor pixel driver or a silicon CMOS pixel driver.
 7. The singlepixel multi-color micro-LED device according to claim 2, furthercomprising: a first reflection layer between the substrate and the firstLED structure layer; a second reflection layer between the first LEDstructure layer and the second LED structure layer; and a thirdreflection layer between the second LED structure layer and the thirdLED structure layer.
 8. The single pixel multi-color micro-LED deviceaccording to claim 7, wherein: at least one of the first, the second andthe third reflection layers comprises a distributed Bragg reflector(DBR) structure; and each of the first, the second and the thirdreflection layers is about 0.1 micron to about 5 microns.
 9. The singlepixel multi-color micro-LED device according to claim 2, wherein: firstlight emitted from the first LED structure layer propagates through thesecond LED structure layer and the third LED structure layer, and secondlight emitted from the second LED structure layer propagates through thethird LED structure layer.
 10. The single pixel multi-color micro-LEDdevice according to claim 5, wherein each of the first, second and thirdLED structure layers comprises: an epitaxial structure forming an LEDwithin the respective LED structure layer; a lower conductive layerelectrically connected to a bottom of the LED; and an upper conductivelayer electrically connected to a top of the LED; wherein the lowerconductive layer is also electrically connected to the pixel driver andthe upper conductive layer is also electrically connected to a commonelectrode.
 11. The single pixel multi-color micro-LED device accordingto claim 10, wherein the epitaxial structure of each of the first,second and third LED structure layers is selected from one or morestructures from the group consisting of a III-V nitride epitaxialstructure, a III-V arsenide epitaxial structure, a III-V phosphideepitaxial structure, and a III-V antimonide epitaxial structure.
 12. Thesingle pixel multi-color micro-LED device according to claim 10,wherein: the lower conductive layer and the upper conductive layer foreach of the first, second and third LED structure layers comprise IndiumTin Oxide (ITO) layers, and each of the ITO layers is about 0.01 micronto 1 micron.
 13. The single pixel multi-color micro-LED device accordingto claim 10, further comprising: an anode metal contact pad electricallyconnected to the lower conductive layer of each of the first, second andthird LED structure layers; a first cathode metal contact padelectrically connected to the upper conductive layer of the first LEDstructure layer; a second cathode metal contact pad electricallyconnected to the upper conductive layer of the second LED structurelayer; and a third cathode metal contact pad electrically connected tothe upper conductive layer of the third LED structure layer.
 14. Thesingle pixel multi-color micro-LED device according to claim 10, whereinthe epitaxial structure of each of the first, second and third LEDstructure layers is about 0.3 micron to about 5 microns.
 15. The singlepixel multi-color micro-LED device according to claim 10, wherein theLEDs of different LED structure layers produce light of differentwavelengths.
 16. The single pixel multi-color micro-LED device accordingto claim 2, wherein: the first LED structure layer forms a red lightLED; the second LED structure layer forms a green light LED; and thethird LED structure layer forms a blue light LED.
 17. A micro-LEDdisplay chip, comprising: a substrate supporting an array of pixeldrivers; and an array of single pixel multi-color micro light-emittingdiode (LED) devices, each single pixel multi-color LED devicecomprising: two or more LED structure layers stacked on top of thesubstrate and pixel drivers, with a bonding layer between adjacent LEDstructure layers, each of the LED structure layers further comprising anepitaxial structure forming a micro LED configured to produce a singlecolor light, wherein: the array of single pixel multi-color LEDs areelectrically connected to the array of pixel drivers and commonelectrodes, the two or more LED structure layers overlap laterally withone another to form a light propagation path through the micro LEDsdirectly stacked together, and, the micro LEDs of different LEDstructure layers produce light of different wavelengths.
 18. Themicro-LED display chip according to claim 17, wherein the commonelectrodes comprise a separate common electrode structure for all themicro LEDs within the same LED structure layer that produce the samecolor.
 19. A method for fabricating a single pixel tri-color microlight-emitting diode (LED) device for a display panel, comprising:providing a substrate, fabricating a first LED structure layer stackedon top of the substrate; fabricating a second LED structure layerstacked on top of the first LED structure layer; and fabricating a thirdLED structure layer stacked on top of the second LED structure layer;wherein the first LED structure layer, the second LED structure layer,and the third LED structure layer substantially overlap laterally withone another to form a light path that combines light emitted from thefirst LED structure layer, the second LED structure layer and the thirdLED structure layer.
 20. The method for fabricating the single pixeltri-color micro-LED device according to claim 19, further comprising:bonding the substrate and the first LED structure layer together by afirst bonding layer; bonding the first LED structure layer and thesecond LED structure layer together by a second bonding layer; andbonding the second LED structure layer and the third LED structure layertogether by a third bonding layer.